For the next month or so, we will be conducting an internal audit of the Alabama Roundup to experiment with different formats, and we want your feedback! You can read more about this week’s changes below.
Alabama top stories in brief
Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles wants to expand their rehabilitation program
- Thus far, the Probation and Parole Reentry Education Program has had 300 graduates, and, so far, none have re-entered the prison system.
- In order to expand the program, ABPP Director Cam Ward has requested additional funding to increase the size of the graduating class and eventually open two additional rehabilitation centers.
- The ABPP goal is to reduce Alabama’s recidivism rates by 50% by 2030.
Three new members inducted to Alabama Academy of Honor
- The Academy inducted Charles Barkley, Champ Lyons and Jimmy Rane in a ceremony at the capitol building last Monday.
- The Alabama Academy of Honor exists “to bestow honor and recognition upon living Alabamians for their outstanding accomplishments and service.”
Alabama Supreme Court denies Birmingham’s request to reverse lower court’s ruling denying police immunity in 2020 wrongful death lawsuit
- The case in question involved a police chase where a suspect fleeing from police crashed his car into another vehicle, leading to the death of 5-year-old Kamerynn Young in 2020.
- Birmingham had requested that the court reverse a ruling by a lower court that denied police officers immunity for being sued in the case, but were denied, so the case can now move forward.
- Young’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2020 that included the two officers giving chase.
Rep. Juandalyn Givan pre-files bill to ban bump stocks in Birmingham
- The bill, HB62, would make it a Class C felony to own a bump stock in Birmingham.
Azzie Oliver is appointed as the first Black Montgomery County district attorney
- Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Oliver to the position on Oct. 31, replacing Daryl Bailey, who retired in October.
- Prior to her appointment, Oliver was serving as the chief deputy district attorney, and had worked in some capacity in the DA’s office since 1998.
Alabama State Department of Education denies request for access to Law Enforcement Tactical System
- The Alabama State Department of Education requested they be allowed access to LETS, a database used by law enforcement, to make use of the system when considering education staff.
- The LETS database provides law enforcement with details about vehicles and their owners, including citations and vehicle history, and pulls from close to 30 different databases
- The Alabama Justice Information Commission denied the request, with some members expressing concerns that the information could be misused and lead to firing personnel whose cases were still in process.
Our articles you might have missed
- In this month’s edition of The Longleaf Hiker, Xander travels to the hidden gem of Ruffner Mountain. Tucked away in Birmingham, Ruffner offers a wonderful place for local residents to spend time learning about nature, hiking beautiful trails and watching planes depart the Birmingham airport from stunning overlooks.
Announcements
- As mentioned earlier, we are testing some changes with the Alabama Roundup in the next few weeks. As you may have noticed, this week we changed the presentation of the Alabama top stories, utilizing a bullet pointed format to provide briefer overviews of multiple stories. Let us know what you thought about these changes by responding to this brief survey here. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and will inform how the Alabama Roundup will look in the future!
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